


May the Jury Decide your Fate

by orphan_account



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Mock Trial, Mock Trial AU, Multi, buckle up this is going to be long, everyone's a stupid fucking lesbian, i'll update the tags as i upload, there's like five million characters and relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:22:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24611470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Mock Trial is a sport as difficult as they come. Teams of teenagers are asked to act as lawyers and play witnesses in a fake trial, grilling the opposing team on a cross-examination and trying not to come off as fake during their direct examination. You get objected to? You're in deep shit.Five teams across the USA come together at a hotel in sunny Florida as Nationals begin. Pre-existing relationships are challenged, new ones are formed, everyone's a useless lesbian and crammed into a singular space— not to mention, they have to win a national prize. What could possibly go wrong?The answer is everything. Everything can go wrong.*currently mia until i figure out what to do with aquaria (if you didn't know, she requested for fanfics to stop being written about her and i am respecting that wish!*
Relationships: Aquaria/Miz Cracker, Gigi Goode/Crystal Methyd, Shea Couleé/Sasha Velour
Comments: 22
Kudos: 37





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, welcome to me not working on any of my other fics and starting something that might not even get finished 😀I don't think you have to understand what mock trial is to enjoy this, but you basically get a fake case and have to act it out in a court as if it were real, and whichever team wins the case moves on. Any unfamiliar names are names of characters in my fake case, which is a Defamation of Character case. Hope this helps!

Three Weeks Until Nationals

Location: Acadia High School, Los Angeles

  
  


“And is it true, Dr. Bennet, that you never took these issues up with Charlie’s parents?” Gigi tried her hardest to sound assured, because in all honesty, she wasn’t prepared for this cross-examination. She grimaced at Valentina, who was playing Bennet; the girl had already draped her feet over the arms of the swivel chair and gave the blonde a sympathetic look.

“Gigi,” interrupted her coach, voice laced with disappointment. “You know just as well as the rest of us… she sent an email? You’re gonna get objected to right there.” Raja was sitting cross-legged on a desk on the other side of the room. Her classroom was rearranged to mimic a courtroom: two sets of three desks on each side, facing a spinny chair in the front. 

“Right, the email,” Gigi could feel her cheeks grow red from embarrassment. It wasn’t like she was the only one who was unprepared, but she  _ was  _ the one who was  _ usually  _ prepared— she was team captain, after all. She quickly typed in the note on her laptop, which she kept next to her.

“You should be more prepared by now,” Raja scolded, judging eyes flickering from girl to girl. “That goes for all of you. You’re the best team in all of California, we’d never live it down if we look like shit compared to New York.”

The whole room looked uncomfortable, and not because their teacher had sworn (a regular occurrence, really). Valentina straightened her posture; it was hitting them all how close they were to a national victory, the first one their school would ever have. They might not have been doing a sport or a band competition, but they’d get some serious praise academically and socially if they managed to beat the team from NYC. 

The rest of Gigi’s cross examination went alright. The girl was good at being intimidating, which was half the battle. She’d obviously rehearsed with Valentina beforehand, but the team agreed that someone from another school who didn’t know what to say… well, they wouldn’t know what to say. And that meant points for them. 

It might have been 10 AM on a Saturday, but seven girls left their school-building with tensions high. They always had lunch together on weekend practices, and it was Gigi and Violet’s turn to carpool. They’d all chosen a brunch place—nearby, thankfully. Gigi could only take so much of Rock singing in broken Korean to Loona songs. 

Violet, Vanessa, Adore, and Val piled out of Violet’s sleek black sedan while Gigi, Rock, and Dahlia exited Gigi’s yellow beetle. Car keys clicked and soon enough, the group was making conversation while waiting to be seated.

“She really thought she was coming for me,” Violet complained to Gigi. The raven-haired beauty was known for being a bitch to anyone and everyone she met—except her mock trial team. Something about the sport made her… softer. Even in the halls, Violet would break her mean-girl facade around her teammates. 

Well, she and Gigi and Dahlia were in the same friend group anyway, but still.

“Violet, she thought a lot of things,” Gigi offered. “But none of them were right.”

“Exactly! Can’t ‘steal my boyfriend’ when I don’t have one. I don’t know why everyone thinks I do.”

“Aren’t all popular girls supposed to be in hetero relationships?”

Violet snorted. “As if.”

Gigi could see something flicker behind Violet’s dark eyes. The brunette’s friends all knew she wasn’t straight, but that was about it. Nobody knew what she was going through underneath her latex skirt and inhumanly-tight corset.

Finally, they were seated. 

“So, about practice today,” Gigi started. When Raja told them how unprepared they were, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Their case was strong, but without the fine tuning they were known for, they’d never win nationals (let alone make it there). 

Adore groaned. “Gi, we just  _ left  _ practice, I don’t wanna talk about it again!”

“You’re way too hard on yourself, Geege. One bad critique on your cross doesn’t mean we have to hear your long-ass speech about how we’re failing,” Rock explained, playing with a sugar packet. She turned to Dahlia, who was smirking at something on her phone.

“Dahli, I’m gonna eat this,” she poked.

Before the girl could respond, Valentina grabbed the entire cup of sugar packets and snatched away the one Rock had in her hand. “Roxanne, I would rather jump out that window right there than deal with you on pure uncut sugar.”

Rock raised an eyebrow. “You know what else is uncut?”

The table groaned.

“Someone tell her she’s a woman, mary,” Vanessa complained.

“You don’t know what I got!”

“I don’t want to know, Rock,” Gigi mumbled.

The blonde had to admit, being around her friends always brought up her mood. She had way more fun around her mock trial team than she did around the cheerleaders. The only time she found any sort of amusement with those girls was when she and Dahlia threw around their inside jokes during practice.

But at this moment, it was hard to enjoy… anything. She knew she’d be in deep shit when she wrote her direct and cross examination questions in half an hour, thinking she definitely knew what she was doing—when she definitely did not. It wasn’t easy being a Junior and a captain, when the Seniors had an entire year of experience on her. 

She ran a hand through her long locks, trying to savor the taste of her avocado toast.

\-------

Location: Eastside Fine Arts Academy, New York City

  
  


Aquaria couldn’t help but stare at her when she walked in. She shouldn’t have felt so dumb compared to her, she was only a year younger. Well, on the other hand, Aqua felt dumb compared to everyone. Jackie always told her she was probably the smartest one of all, but it would probably take the Earth spinning opposite on its axis for the blonde to really believe it.

Ever since Aqua dyed her hair platinum, everyone said she and Brianna looked similar. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, pointy noses. Did that mean the italian was a narcissist for falling for her? Maybe, but their faces were about where the similarities ended. Brianna was short— like, tiny tiny— with a small waist and perfect wide hips, a sharp tongue, and an affinity for twirling at unnecessary times. She was a ball of preppy, pink fire—wise fire, and very self-critical fire. You saw what Brianna wanted you to see. Aquaria wanted to see more.

Aquaria, however, was lanky and tall and thin, with the body of a supermodel and the Instagram followers to match. She almost exclusively dressed in latex and leather and the only thing keeping her hair from becoming neon pink was their tournament in three weeks (Jackie wanted them to look ‘professional’ so they could be ‘intimidating,’) The girl wanted to be in fashion, whether it be modeling, designing, or makeup, that land was where she needed to be.

So how did she end up in Mock Trial, on the little sister team to one of the best teams in the country? The team that Brianna just so  _ happened  _ to be on?

No, Aquaria definitely didn’t put herself through torture to attempt to seduce a supposedly straight girl. 

It wasn’t like Mock Trial  _ wasn’t  _ fun, it was, but it was also a way bigger deal than Aqua had expected. She thought it was for nerds, but when you go to a fine arts school there aren’t really any nerds to speak of. Except the anime kids. And Aquaria was an anime kid.

Brianna’s assured voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts. “Although I’d love to help you all cheat, Shuga won’t let me, first of all, Sasha won’t let me, second of all, and Jackie won’t let me, third of all.”

“It goes against the morals of the whole sport!” Jackie complained. “We’re supposed to be fair.”

“We’re  _ supposed  _ to win,” Brianna offered. 

“Why are you even here?” Jackie was exasperated. 

“Bob told me to make use of myself and teach the youngins,” the blonde explained, referring to her sister, Roberta.

“Cracker, we’re the same age,” the Persian sighed. Weird nicknames ran in the family, apparently. As Brianna liked to say, she was thin, white, and salty. Did that warrant a racial slur as a nickname? Probably not, but nobody seemed to complain. 

“Fine, I’ll take my services elsewhere!” Brianna teased.

Jackie seemed to think for a second.

“No, the youngins need help,” she admitted. “Brita’s directing Nicky and Jan’s crossing me… hey! You and Aqua are playing the same parts! Go kiki, I guess,” the brunette turned back to her group.

Well, shit.

Brianna grinned, plopping down next to Aquaria and staring at her laptop. It would have been the most awkward thing ever if Scarlet wasn’t there, eyebrow raised at the obvious tension. 

“So, are we winning this thing by acting like useless lesbians, or…?” Scarlet rested her head in her hand. 

Aquaria whipped her head around, fear, then annoyance, then gratefulness in her eyes. Thank god the redhead was there to bring her back to reality.

“Right! Bri, we should compare our questions. I think I’m pretty confident in how I’m going to play Charlie.”

“I’m sure you are,” the short girl said. Her tone was unreadable, and Aqua could feel her stomach twist with anxiety.

It was a few more awkward silences that Scarlet had to break up before Pearl stomped into Ms. Michelle’s room.

“Jackie?” the tall blonde drawled, her voice monotonous as usual.

“Hey Pearl, what’s up?”

“I’m here for my idiot sister, practice is over.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes, grabbing her things and joining Pearl upfront, punching her in the arm for good measure.

That left Aquaria and Brianna.

Alone.

For two seconds before Jan kicked the group out of her mom’s classroom.

Aquaria found herself in front of the school, standing in the huge group of girls who were viciously debating whether it was easier to be on the Plaintiff or the Defense. 

“Sis, don’t even try to come for me, of course Charlie’s in the wrong, she’s a bitch!” Aja yelled. Or was she yelling? Or was that just her voice?

“Well, you’re a bitch, and you don’t see me suing your ass,” Monet explained. 

“I’d  _ like  _ to sue her ass,” Bob added. The two, Bob and Monet, were as close as friends could be. Monet spent so much time at the Heller house she could have been adopted.

“Can we drive home already?” Brianna whined.

“Shut it, shorty,” Bob shushed. “This is important.”

“The box of frosted animal crackers in my room is important, now can we please go home?”

Bob rolled her eyes, relenting. “I’ll see you all soon. Monet, get your ass in my car, I’m not dealing with Cracker alone today.”

“You never do,” Monet rolled her eyes, waving as she followed the two girls to their car. Aquaria caught Brianna’s eye as she twirled off, a smile spreading across the tall blonde’s face.

“I know that look,” a voice said somewhere behind her, causing Aqua to jump.

“Sasha, jesus!”

“Did I scare you?” The russian grinned evilly. 

“Yes, yes you did,” Aquaria breathed. “What look?”

“The way you looked at Cracker. I know how you feel about her,” Sasha explained. The team captain knowing everyone’s secrets wasn’t exactly a surprise. The funny thing was, nobody told her. She just knew. Aquaria was three inches taller than her, but she felt three feet shorter.

“Not even I know how I feel about Cracker,” Aquaria admitted, starting to walk slowly in the direction she took to get home. 

“Tell me about it, I’ll drive you home,” the other blonde smiled.

After Aquaria trying to be polite and declining, Sasha finally managed to coax her into the passenger seat of her car. Yes, New York traffic would be disgusting, but it also left more time for Aquaria to spill.

“So, what’s up?” the older girl asked.

“I don’t know what’s up. I just like her, I think,” Aquaria started. “God tell me why because I certainly can’t figure it out.”

“Brianna’s very likeable. She’s smart, pretty, funny-”

“She still eats frosted animal crackers,” Aquaria lamented. “And her hands are like, half the size of mine. She’s fun sized!”

“Oh, so you’ve fallen  _ hard.” _

Aquaria looked at her, panicked. “I have?!”

“You have.”

Sasha didn’t need to say more, her tone was laced with finality. The entire school knew Sasha, the girl with the nearly-white blonde bob, the one who moved from Russia when she was little, the one who openly submitted Sapphic poetry in English class and the teachers never cared, the one who helped her team win Mock Trial nationals when she was a  _ freshman,  _ the one who’s shocking grey eyes followed you and picked apart your every secret— yeah, everyone knew what she said, goes. And if Sasha said Aquaria was head over heels, she was head over heels.

There wasn’t a bone in Aqua’s tiny body that could deny Sasha being correct.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Chapter: Gigi gets in her head once again as Nationals loom overhead, something's up with Violet, Aquaria is desperately in love with a particular Jewish blonde, Bob and Monet supremacy, and Sasha is a goddess amongst humankind.
> 
> This Chapter: Crystal can't flirt to save her life and Shea is a perfect human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please bear with me I'm not 100% sure i like half of the things i write. also these take a while because i'm constantly doing like 84894 different things so i hope this is worth the wait!

Two Weeks Until Nationals

Location: Clearwater High, Nashville

“We are in deep, deep shit,” Widow rubbed the bridge of her nose. “‘Make a mock trial team, they said. You made it to Nationals, they said,’” she muttered, jotting down some notes.

Crystal stood in front of Blair, an awkward grin plastered on her face as Blair tried to hold back laughter. They’d practiced their direct examination for a while at Crystal’s house yesterday, but it turned into them discussing women and Crystal’s raging lesbianism very quickly. And that is why Widow currently looked at them with unbridled disappointment.

“You literally had this down last week! Guys, I know this is a library and I’m not supposed to swear and all, but what the fuck?”

“Widow, I’m sure we’re not the only team who’s nervous. It was a fluke,” Crystal tried to reason.

“A fluke that could happen again,” Brooke said from behind the team captain. Of course Brooke would  _ never  _ mess up and her questions were  _ always  _ perfect and she was a perfect human being and etcetera, etcetera.  _ Ballet dancers. Gotta love em. _

“I think my sister plays the fluke,” Heidi said quietly, making Kameron, who was sat next to her, burst out in snickers.

“We’re going to practice more, but as long as the basics of the questions and answers are good, I think we’ll have it down. We won’t mess up,” Blair explained. “Our case took us straight through the entire American South, it can take us through some big-city sissies.”

“We are big-city sissies, just yee-haw edition,” Crystal replied.

“Not me,” Brooke mimed offense. “I’m a big-city sissy, maple syrup edition.”

The group collectively rolled their eyes. 

“When we get to Miami, we are  _ all  _ yee-haw,” Widow said. “And Dallas is gonna be double-yee-haw.”

“This conversation is confusing, I think all my yee’s have crossed my haw’s,” Heidi rubbed her temples.

“I think that’s enough lawyer-ing for today, what about you, Widow?” Crystal suggested eagerly. It was six o’clock on a Wednesday, but the group always did their homework before practice (or enough homework to get them a passing grade) so they could wreak havoc in town later. The group weren’t the closest, all with their separate friend groups, but they always enjoyed hanging out together when they could.

“I think that’s enough of today in general, you guys are something else,” Widow began packing up her things, the group silently cheering.

“Weed time, weed time,” Crystal hummed to herself, stuffing her trial binder in her suede backpack.

“Really, ‘weed time?’” Brooke laughed with a cocky half smile creeping its way on her face. 

“Yes, weed time, not everyone wants lung cancer like you and Widow.”

“Or you could just… not smoke,” Heidi suggested. “Why don’t we do something different than last week?”

Blair nodded in agreement. “As much as I loved watching Crystal get high in the park last time, I don’t think I have the energy to keep myself entertained.”

“Why don’t we go to a diner?” Kameron piped up. “I know a really good one, it’s 50s themed and there aren’t any creepy drunk guys,” the copper-haired girl smiled sweetly.  _ That’s _ why they loved Kam, she didn’t say much unless she had to, and what she said was always useful.

“Sounds good to me!” Crystal straightened her posture excitedly.

“Mm, girl I love me a milkshake,” Heidi grinned.

“Alright you basic hoes, let’s go,” Widow rolled her eyes. They ended up in her car, Brooke calling shotgun as usual, a tiny Blair crammed between Kameron and Heidi, and Crystal recklessly offering to sit in the trunk, hands draped around Heidi’s headrest.

“Heidi, you’re straight, you wouldn’t  _ understand  _ why Zendaya is hotter than Harry Styles. Don’t get me wrong, he’s hot for a  _ guy  _ and I’d do absolutely anything for him, but… Zendaya,” Crystal argued.

“Personally, I think you are ignoring a major player and that is King Princess,” Blair turned around to face Crystal more.

“When would I ever ignore King Princess?!” Crystal was appalled. “Okay, miss ‘I listen to Girl in Red.”

“You’re not the only lesbian in the world, Elizabeth!”

“You’re gay? Since when?” Heidi looked confused, again.

“ _ Queer,” _ Blair clarified. 

“Ohh, so you aren’t useless like Crystal.”

“No, she’s still useless,” Kameron managed to get in with a coy grin. “It’s right up ahead,” she was talking to Widow now, who was trying to tune out the group's bickering as she pulled into the parking lot.

The girls filed into the quaint diner, the atmosphere shiny and candy-like. Crystal could barely hide her excitement when she saw the variety of milkshake flavor options, her head swimming with ideas of what to get. They were seated and handed menus, where the brunette could get a closer look at all of the concoctions, thus making her even more conflicted. 

It was only the cute waitress strutting into view that took her attention away from the laminated booklet. 

“Crystal, you good?” Widow noticed the shift in the brunette’s expression from where she was sat, facing Crystal’s side of the booth.

“I-” she couldn’t finish her sentence, the girl was already at their table. Her name tag read ‘Asia,’ which Crystal found almost as pretty as her smile.

“Ready to order?” she beamed with a click of her pen.

“I think so,” Blair looked around the table, Crystal too flustered to announce that she, in fact, hadn’t chosen what to get.

The girls ordered, even Kameron (who was probably just as shaken as Crystal), leaving Crystal last.

“I, uh, I’ll get…” the girl attempted to make a quick decision based on a scan of the menu, but her mind was turning up blank.

“I can come back if you’d like,” Asia offered with a sweet look.

“No! Don’t, it’s all good,” Crystal sputtered. “I’m gonna get the… the-”

“She’ll get a medium cotton candy milkshake,” Kameron interrupted from right next to the brunette. Asia chuckled and jotted down the order.

“Coming right up,” she winked, and for a split second Crystal thought it was directed at her before seeing the way Kam’s eyes widened excitedly. 

“Well,” Crystal started once Asia was out of earshot. “That was embarrassing.”

“What did I tell y’all? Useless,” Heidi shook her head.

“I just can’t believe Kameron spoke more to her than you,” Brooke said. “You need to step up your game, Elizabeth.”

Crystal groaned. “But how would I even know she’s into girls?”

“Ask?” Blair suggested.

“She don’t gotta be gay just to hit on,” Widow added.

Crystal buried her face in her hands, “Just let me wallow in my gay sadness,” she whined.

“Well, if you aren’t taking her, I will,” Kameron smiled evilly, placing a ‘reassuring’ hand on Crystal’s shoulder, toying at the paper she’d already written her number on.

Later that evening, Crystal’s stomach was filled with more than just a cotton candy milkshake as she glared at Kameron chatting happily with Asia.

\--------

One Week Until Nationals

Location: Starbucks, Chicago

“Shea.”

“ _ Shea.” _

_ “Shea!’ _

“What?!” the girl finally looked up from her notes, glaring at Jaida. 

“Practice is over, chile. Why don’t you just enjoy our company?”

“Practice is never over when you’re captain, not that any of you would understand,” Shea snapped.

The group looked at each other, not nervously, but trying to hold back laughter. 

“Sweets, you’re obviously stressed enough as it is, why would you continuously torture yourself like this?” Naomi tried to rub a hand on the older girl’s arm in comfort, but the raven haired beauty swatted it away. 

“Look,” Shea started, flipping a page in her notebook. “I’m sorry. I just— nationals are in like, a week. What if everything we have is wrong?”

Vixen rolled her eyes. “For like, the last  _ few  _ practices, we’ve had all of our directs completely down  _ and  _ sounding natural.”

“And everyone has their cross exams memorized  _ and  _ we all know what to say as witnesses,” Yvie chimed in, sipping on her iced coffee for emphasis. 

“And we don’t even have to worry about the opening and closing statements, you and Vixen learned them weeks ago,” Kim added. 

Shea exhaled. “I know, I’m just still so worried. There are teams from all over and we don’t know what they’re bringing. This is our first time at Nationals, but the school from NYC has  _ two  _ teams who made it here multiple times!”

“If you think we’re going to lose to some snobby white Manhattaners, you have to get your head out of your ass,” Vixen chided. 

“You haven’t even ordered anything, Shea,  _ please,”  _ Jaida looked at her, worried. “You need to take care of yourself, too.”

“Coffee doesn’t equal self-care.”

“It’s a start,” Yvie got up and grabbed Shea’s hand. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat, too.”

Shea grumbled. “But, my notes—” 

Vixen shut the taller girl’s binder and laptop and shoved them in her backpack. “Fuck your notes, go get food.”

“Ugh, if I’m going to eat at  _ least  _ it could not be from Starbucks,” Shea whined to Yvie in line.

“We aren’t going out for you, I don’t care how stressed you are,” the green-haired girl rebutted. 

Shea pouted with a ‘hmph,’ relenting to her teammates' pressures. She and Yvie brought the food and drink back to their table and Shea nervously munched on a sandwich. She would attempt to open her notebook and jot down her thoughts every so often, before one of her friends slapped her wrist and told her to keep eating.

“Shea, what was the last time you went out?” Naomi asked after a while.

“Not that long ago.”

“After trial season started?”

Shea scoffed. “No…” she thought for a second. “... well. Yeah. But you know how stressful it is!”

“That. That’s why you go out,” Yvie deadpanned. “To distract yourself.”

“I don’t have  _ time _ —”

“If I have time, you have time. Chile, when we get to Florida we’re going to a club the first night,” Jaida offered, everyone else nodding in response.

“Are you  _ crazy?”  _ Shea raised an eyebrow. “It’s the night before our first trial that’s—”

“Nuh-uh, we have a day in between when we get there and when we start to ‘practice.’ We’re going,” Jaida’s voice was final. 

Shea rolled her eyes and rubbed her temples. She could handle school, she could handle a case, she could handle the dance team and she could handle relationships. For some reason, however, she could  _ not _ handle these five girls’ dumbassery. But she loved them, so she’d give them this one. Just this once.

“Okay, I guess. Let’s party in Florida.” 

**Author's Note:**

> please let me know what you all thought! constructive criticism more than welcome


End file.
